Yarn Play

Still not much in the way of sewing happening over here.  I just haven't been up to sitting at the machine of late.  So I've been contenting myself with knitting instead.  

I recently learned the magic loop technique, and boy howdy!  I've gone from a mild interest in the craft to an addict!  The reason?  I like things for my hands, mostly fingerless gloves and mitts.  I was terrified of double pointed needles (I have cats that have an unholy love of yarn!).  But, with the magic loop that is no longer a concern.  When I'm ready to put my work away I just slide it onto the cable and stick it into my bag.  My current project has been mauled 3 times without ever loosing a stitch! Yay magic loop!  

In the past month I've completed a pair of striped gauntlets, my very first ML project, and am almost done with a cute little shrug.  I found the pattern here on Ravelry.  While I used this pattern as a jumping off point, I've made a quite a few changes.  The original is basically a long tube with breaks for your thumb and the portion that goes across your back.  It's the same width the entire length and knitted by measurements, not rows.  Now, I tend to like my sleeves to be fitted on the lower portion of my arm and a bit looser up top. So I've created my own pattern that fits my super long monkey arms just the way I like! As of this writing, I've only got 129 rows to go until it's finished! (Please excuse the really bad bathroom mirror pics.  I'll have a friend take some good ones once this thing is finished.)

Front

Back

I cannot express how  much I love this!  It's comfy, soft, not bulky and I can't wait to wear it about!  As soon as this one is done, I'll be making one for a friend in purple.  We're taking our girls on a trip soon and they'll come in handy on the plane.

If you're interested in the details of my version of this shrug, you can find them on Ravelry.